


What Might Have Happened?

by swinggal138



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Thor Movies, Developing Relationship, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Loki Feels, Odin's Bad Parenting, Thor Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-06
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 20:39:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 19,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/957371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swinggal138/pseuds/swinggal138
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A possible alternate ending to the Thor movie had two Midgardian maidens unwittingly ended up in Asgard and won the hearts of the two Asgardian princes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the events in this story come from the movie itself. I don't claim to own any of that content. This is just my theory of a possible different outcome.

Dust rose behind a noisy dirtbike as it sped across the sand, out of control, gaining speed rather than losing it as Tessa repeatedly tried to brake. On the back, her best friend, Lacey, held on for dear life. Her bike had broken down suddenly a mile or two back and Tessa was giving her a ride back to their car so they could grab their tools and hopefully repair the damn thing. Dirtbiking was the one stress reliever the girls had out of their crazy, stressful lives. The bike continued gaining speed when suddenly there seemed to be a blinding flash, a tumult of action and movement, and the bike died, out of gas. The girls took a moment to collect themselves, climbing off the bike. But instead of sand, like they were expecting, their feet hit something solid. Looking down, they realized they were standing on a black, stone floor.  
“What the actual hell?” Tessa said, taking in the rest of their surroundings.   
Instead of the desert, they appeared to be standing in a gold dome, the walls etched with odd circles and symbols. Tessa tried desperately to understand what exactly had happened. She was muttering petulantly to herself when Lacey tugged on her sleeve,  
“Um...Tessa,”  
“What Lacey?” she replied, not turning around.  
“Tessa!” Lacey hissed, finally getting her friend to turn around.  
“Wha..oh!” she said, staring at the massively tall man standing in front of them, a look of utter confusion on his face. The man had longer blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore silver and red armor, a large hammer held in his hand. To his right, another large man stood, dressed all in gold, a strange curved helmet on his head and a sword in his hands, which he appeared to have stuck into a device in the middle of the dome. For a second or two, no one moved or spoke.  
“Um...hi?” Tessa began.  
“Silence!” the tall blonde man commanded in a loud, booming voice, making both girls jump, “Who are you? And how did you get into Asgard?”  
“I’m sorry, what? Get in where?” Tessa asked.  
Lacey had yet to really speak, just staring at the blonde guy, honestly in awe of how attractive he was as well as trying to figure out what exactly happened.  
“Do you not know where you are?” the man asked.  
“No clue whatsoever. We were just riding the dirtbike when it started going crazy and then it ran out of gas and suddenly we are here.”  
“Thor,” the man in gold finally said, “is it possible they snuck in with you when you and Loki came through the Bifrost?”  
“Wait...snuck in?! We didn’t sneak in anywhere. Just what are you implying?”  
“I thought I told you to be silent!” Thor yelled, also trying to understand how two random Midgardian women were standing in Asgard.  
“Brother,” a voice spoke up and another man stepped out from behind Thor. Lacey and Tessa hadn’t noticed him until now but it was hard not to notice him once you looked on him. He was almost as tall as his brother, lean and fit, with a thin, handsome face and mesmerizing green eyes. He also appeared to be dressed in armor, although his was black leather with emerald accents.  
“Brother,” he continued, “perhaps you should calm your anger. It would appear that these two women are as clueless as we are in regards to their sudden presence here. Perhaps Heimdall can just send them back where they came from.”  
“I am afraid I cannot do that.”  
“Why?” Thor asked gruffly.  
“Because if it is the magic of some other realm that brought them here, opening the Bifrost could let in another unknown evil far more threatening than these two maidens.”  
“Perhaps you are right. We should take them back to the palace,” Thor said.  
“I think that is the sensible idea; father will know what to do,” the one in the black armor said.  
“I will take the small one on my horse.”  
“Thor, they are both small.”  
“I will take the smaller one. Loki, you can take the loud one.”  
“Now wait just a minute,” Tessa protested, “I am not just going off to some palace with two random strange guys until I get an actual explanation as to where we are.”   
“You dare to defy a prince of Asgard?” Thor demanded at her.  
“I don’t care if you’re the king of whatever-land! I am not going with two men I don’t know, no matter how attractive they are!” she concluded, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly, clearly indicating she had no intention of moving. Loki smirked at her, highly amused at her defiance of his brother, who was so used to getting his way. He moved towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder,  
“I like her,” he said to Thor.  
“And you are touching me why?”  
Loki removed the hand from her shoulder, practically beaming at her by this point as he took her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it,  
“My apologies.”  
Tessa didn’t say anything, raising an eyebrow at him.  
Lacey finally spoke up, having taken some time to process everything,  
“Tessa, I think we should go with him. I have a feeling that wherever we are and however we ended up here, is one of those things that is easier to show rather than explain.”   
Conceding the point, Tessa agreed to go with them and the four of them left the golden dome, striding over to two horses that were waiting outside. Thor directed Lacey over to his horse where he mounted it, extending his arm to pull her up with him. Loki led Tessa over to his horse, climbing on and extending a hand to her as well; Tessa just looked at him skeptically.  
“You are more than welcome to walk over there but I promise it will be a fairly exhausting journey, especially for one who has no idea where she is or how to get there.”  
“Fine,” Tessa caved, taking his hand as he pulled her up, wrapping her arms around his middle before she could protest. The men then took off towards the palace.


	2. Chapter 2

Back on Midgard, an incredibly conspicuous blue man with glowing red eyes, grinned maniacally as the two girls vanished. Enchanting their bikes and causing them to speed out of control had worked as the girls were sucked into the Bifrost with the two Asgardians. Now to just wait. Heimdall was certain to send them right back when he realized they were of Midgard and Laufey would be waiting to make his move into Asgard. But they never reappeared; slightly disappointed, Laufey knew he would have to find another way in to steal back what he felt was rightfully his.


	3. Chapter 3

Once they reached the palace, Thor and Loki escorted their Midgardian visitors straight in to talk with Odin. After hearing the entire situation, Odin agreed with Heimdall that it was not safe to send the girls back to Midgard without understanding the situation behind their arrival.  
“So you’re saying that we’re stuck here?! Don’t we even have a say in this?” Tessa yelled.  
Lacey shot her a look, trying to signal for her to shut up, understanding that they were speaking to a king, a king long considered to be a deity in mythology. Even Thor and Loki were looking at her in shock; they didn’t even talk to their father that way. Odin looked down at Tessa, not sure if he was angry or amused.  
“This one has a mouth on her. Loki, I want you to keep an eye on her.”   
Loki looked over at Tessa, eyes wandering over her body as a smirk crossed his face,  
“With pleasure, father.”  
Tessa just rolled her eyes, irritated that she would clearly have to be spending more time with this cheeky prince. At least he wasn’t bad on the eyes; that was a bonus. Odin then turned his gaze to Lacey.  
“This one is quiet, sensible. She is confident yet knows her place. Thor, you are to keep an eye on her, although I feel it could well be her keeping you out of trouble at times.”  
“I will do as you say, father.”  
“Now,” Odin continued, “please show them both to their rooms where they will be staying for the duration of their visit on our realm. I assure you, girls, you will be well taken care of here.”   
“Thank you,” Lacey told him, “We are grateful for your kindness.”  
And with that, Thor and Loki escorted them from the room, leading them down seperate halls to their rooms. Lacey graciously accepted the elbow Thor offered to her. He was much more polite to them, now that his anger and confusion had calmed. Loki placed his hand on Tessa’s lower back, but she just gave him a look and removed his arm, contenting herself to walk a small distance in front of him, despite the fact she had no idea where she was going. Loki had never met someone as spirited as her or someone who was not afraid to say exactly what was on her mind; he already loved her.


	4. Chapter 4

Thor led Lacey to a giant room. In the middle was a large comfortable-looking bed. There was also a table with a mirror, a closet already filled with various clothing, and through a door, Lacey saw a bathroom containing a large, inviting-looking tub.   
“These will be your chambers for the time being. I hope they are satisfactory.”  
“They look fine. Thank you. Again.”  
“You are most welcome.”  
“Would you mind horribly if I took a bath? I am still kind of covered in dirt from biking today.”  
“Go right ahead. Afterwards, you will join me for dinner.”  
“Um, Thor, I appreciate the offer and I don’t mean to be rude, but wouldn’t it be more polite to ask me if I would join you for dinner rather than assuming I will or acting like me joining you would be an honor for me?”  
Thor just looked at her, unsure how to react. She may be the quieter of the two girls but she was by no means a pushover. Lacey didn’t take kindly to entitled people and never put up with their crap. Thor didn’t answer her, but rather walked out of the room, leaving Lacey to figure out how the tub worked by herself.  
Loki led Tessa down an adjoining hallway or rather he followed her as she stalked down the hall, stopping her in front of the correct door. The room was similar to that of Lacey’s and Tessa was also automatically drawn to the tub, craving to just soak in the hot water and figure out exactly what had just happened.  
“Um, thanks for showing me to my room. I think I’m just going to take a bath.”  
“I would be more than happy to assist you in that task,” Loki said, stepping close to her and gazing down at her with a cheeky grin, “operating the bath tub I mean.”  
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you meant. Well thank you, but I think I can manage.”  
Tessa began taking off the jacket she was wearing, glancing over as she realized Loki wasn’t moving.  
“Um, you can leave now. Thanks. I’ve got it.”  
“I was instructed to keep an eye on you.”  
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was just so I didn’t cause trouble. I assure you that my evil plan would not be to flood your palace with an overflowing bathtub.”  
Loki surpressed a laugh, finally caving, walking out of the room and closing the door, glimpsing behind him just in time to see her walking into the bathroom, already topless and removing her jeans.


	5. Chapter 5

After taking their baths, Tessa and Lacey met in the hallway, ready to head down to the dinner they were told was being prepared. Tessa was a bit less irritable after having some time alone to think. Both girls had decided to wear one of the garments provided in their closets; Lacey went with a royal blue one while Tessa thought green would be the best color for her. After wandering the halls a bit, they finally found the banquet hall and wandered in, discovering that Odin, his wife Frigga, Thor, and Loki were already seated and feasting on the massive amount of food before them. Thor glanced up from his meal, getting his first true glimpse of Lacey, her beautiful body not hidden by riding clothes and her lovely brown hair falling softly to frame her face; his fork dropped to his plate with a loud clang. Loki glanced over at his brother, who had his mouth open and was staring at Lacey as she approached the table.  
“Brother, it is not polite to gawk at a lady so. Best to keep your glances inconspicuous.”  
Loki then glanced over briefly at Tessa before returning his attention to his plate for only a moment as his head snapped back up to look at her. Gone was the dirt-laden, petulant girl from earlier and in her place stood a beautiful woman, breathtaking in an emerald gown with red hair falling in curls over her shoulders.   
“Brother,” Thor leaned over to Loki, “it is not polite to stare at a lady.”  
Loki took a minute to compose himself, sending a suggestive smile in Tessa’s direction, causing her to roll her eyes at him and shake her head. Finally answering Thor, he said,  
“At a lady, no. But does she act like any lady you’ve ever met?”  
“No, she asks like a mischievous imp.”  
“Precisely.”  
“Do you fancy her brother?”  
“Very much. I would even venture to use to the word love although it may seem I use it with haste.”  
“Be careful that you do not mistake lust for love, Loki,” Thor said, sounding like the older brother that he was.  
“Oh I assure you, I am well aware of the difference.”  
Thor looked a bit uncomfortable at what Loki was implying and turned back to his meal, casting a smile at Lacey as she sat down across from him, Tessa sitting down across from Loki, trying to ignore his blatant stare. Odin, from the far end of the table, watched his two sons interact with the Midgardians; it would be an interesting visit for them indeed.  
Later that evening, everyone had adjorned to a large parlor of sorts, with a huge open balcony overlooking Asgard. The group from dinner had been joined by four other people, The Warriors Three and a female warrior named Sif. Everyone sat around talking, laughing and drinking, aside from Tessa, who chose to sit in a corner quietly by herself, electing to observe the group rather than join.   
“May I sit with you?”  
Tessa looked up to see Loki standing over her, a devious glint in his eyes.  
“It’s a free...realm...I think.”  
Loki smirked, seating himself directly next to her on the small couch she was reclining on, close enough so their legs touched, even though there was more than enough room for him to scoot over. Tessa gave him an exasperated look but said nothing; nor did she move away from him.   
“You look beautiful in that dress, if you don’t mind me saying.”  
She opened her mouth to say something snarky but realized that she had been kind of rude to him all day and he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Softening her face a bit, she replied with a simple,  
“Thank you.”  
“So, tell me more about yourself.”  
“Why are you so interested?”  
“Because I like you and I find you intriguing.”  
“Well you’re direct.”  
“A quality not generally used to describe me.”  
“Oh right, Loki, trickster god with the silver tongue.”  
“I beg your pardon?”  
“Loki, the trickster god from Norse mythology. Thor, god of thunder. Asgard, one of the nine realms.”  
Loki could not hide how incredibly sexy he found her knowledge of him and his realm, his attraction coming out in his voice as he replied,  
“You are just full of surprises aren’t you? How do you know so much about this realm, which, I may point out is not mythology as you can clearly see.”  
“I’m a writer and a lot of my work draws heavily on mythology of all kinds. Although, I am starting to doubt how much is actually mythology now. But, then again, I’m a science fiction writer and we tend to like to play fast and loose with the term ‘reality’ anyway.”  
“A writer? Interesting,” Loki said, looking as if he was deep in thought as he suddenly stood up and left the room. Tessa shrugged and went back to her observation of people.  
Meanwhile, Thor had been chatting with Lacey, walking out onto the balcony with her and pointing out various things down in Asgard below. He bragged about the beauty of Asgard, his inevitable ascent to the throne, and the great power he wielded with Mjolnir. Lacey nodded politely, not listening intently, too distracted by how entitled and arrogant he was acting. It was true that he was breathtakingly attractive but his stuck-up, self-important attitude unfortunately detracted from that.   
As Thor and Lacey talked on the balcony, Sif stared at them from the place she was sitting, seething with jealousy. Who did this Midgardian wench think she was? How dare she swoop into Asgard, acting like she belonged, and steal Sif’s man away from her? Okay, Thor was not technically hers but he was most assuredly more hers than this new girl’s. What did Thor see in her anyway? She was small, weak, mortal; not worth even comparing to a warrior like Sif. Unable to handle it anymore, Sif stalked out of the room, retreating to the safety of her own chambers.  
Lacey continued nodding along with whatever Thor was saying, lost in her own mind, when she was drawn from her reveries as she realized he had asked her a question.  
“I’m sorry. What was the question again?”  
“I asked if you would care to adjourn to my chambers now.”  
Lacey just stared at him in disbelief. Did he really think that just because he was a soon-to-be king, she would just jump into bed with him? Maybe that’s how things worked on Asgard but definitely not where she came from.  
“Thor, I’m not going to your chambers with you.”  
“I don’t understand. Why not?”  
“Um...because we just met less than twelve hours ago.”  
“I fail to see how this is a problem.”  
“Is that how it works here? Men just see a woman they want and the woman is supposed to jump when he says jump? Do women here honestly just hop into bed with complete strangers simply because they ask them to?”  
“Only if the stranger asking is a prince,” Thor replied, completely oblivious to why she was irritated with him.  
“Thor, I know I am new here but I think you are taking the royal privilege idea a bit too far.”  
“Oh, so you will not be joining me this evening?”  
“No.”  
There was an awkward silence that extended out for ages and Lacey finally just turned to leave, heading towards her room.  
“May I at least see you back to your chambers?”  
Lacey nodded, content that he at least asked politely. He once again extended his arm to her and she accepted, walking down the hall with him. When they finally reached her door, she opened it and turned to go inside.  
“May I at least give you a goodnight kiss?”  
Lacey pondered for a moment, quite honestly tempted by his handsome face, but finally replied,  
“I think not tonight.”  
A bit dismayed and humbled, Thor turned to leave.  
“But maybe tomorrow night,” Lacey said, smiling softly at him as she vanished into her room, leaving Thor with a grin on his face as he walked down the hall.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that evening, Tessa sat on her bed, thumbing through a random book she had found in the nightstand, when a light knock at the door startled her. She went to answer it, completely forgetting that she had already changed into the Asgardian version of pajamas. Opening the door, she found Loki standing there, his hand still raised in a knocking position as he slowly took in the black silk number she was wearing, lingering over the green cups that barely contained her chest.  
“Can I help you?” she said, unconsciously covering her front with her arms.   
“Come with me,” Loki said, resisting his strong urge to reach out and take her beautiful form into his arms.  
“Right now? Isn’t it a little late for a guided tour?”  
“Perhaps, but you are still awake. As am I. And I think you will very much like what I have to show you.”  
“Why should I go with you?”  
“Because you can’t stand not knowing things and if you don’t come with me, you know you will spend the remainder of your night wondering what it is.”  
Tessa tried to argue but she knew he was right; she was one of the most curious people she knew and it often got her into trouble. So, whether it was a good decision or not, she closed the door and followed Loki down the hall. After a bit, they came to two large double doors, wooden and intricately carved. Tessa stood in front of them, wondering if she was allowed to open them herself but before she could make that decision, Loki stepped up behind her and she felt his arms reach around, pressing his back against her as he flung open the doors. She was about to protest his unecessary physical contact when all her obejctions were taken away by the sight before her. The room was filled with books. Shelves upon shelves upon shelves brimming with bound tomes, extending farther back than she could see. And on the sides of the room were two spiral staircases, leading up to what appeared to be even more shelves. Tessa gasped,  
“Oh my...this is...I...”  
“You can go inside,” Loki whispered in her ear, making her aware that he was still behind her, his hands resting on her arms now. Tessa took a few hesitant steps inside, all her senses humming as she deeply inhaled the smell of ink, paper, and wood. For the first time since she arrived, she was speechless. She walked over to the nearest shelf, brushing her fingers against the wood before stroking them along the bindings of the books. Loki followed her but remained silent, letting her enjoy the solemn moment. After she had wandered for a bit, she turned back to him.  
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked, not petulantly this time, but genuinely curious.  
“Because you said you were a writer and I thought you might be someone who actually appreciates this library the way I do. Although it is quite extensive, very few people actually come in here aside from me. I am not sure how long you will be in Asgard but I thought you might like a place of escape while you are here.”  
Tessa walked over to him, looking up at him as he gazed down at her,  
“Thank you. Sincerely.”  
She stood on her toes and pressed a quick but firm kiss to his lips, wandering back towards the shelves before he had a chance to react. For the remainder of the evening, she explored the library as Loki watched her with amusement, only retreating back to her room when she saw the first signs of day beginning to peek through the window.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day was fairly uneventful for Tessa and Lacey; well as uneventful as a day in a new realm can be. Thor and Loki took the time to show them around Asgard and they spent the rest of the day in the palace, trying to keep themselves busy. After dinner, they were all back in the lounge, talking and drinking. Sif was sending Lacey hateful glances as she talked out on the balcony with Thor again, telling him about her work as a famous fashion designer. He had asked if people would be worried she was missing all of a sudden but she explained that it was not unusual for her to vanish for a week or two when she was working on new designs. It was the same with Tessa, a famous science fiction writer who often cut off contact with every living soul while she worked on her next book. After awhile, Lacey began to get tired, still overwhelmed by her new surroundings. Thor offered to walk her back again. They reached her front door and Thor automatically reached his hand down, placing it about Lacey’s waist and drawing her to him, leaning down to kiss her. But at the last minute, she turned her face and he ended up kissing her cheek.  
“I don’t understand. You said I could kiss you tonight.”  
“I said maybe you could. And I had every intention of it until you just assumed it was your right and chose not to ask me.”  
“Why don’t you like me?”  
“I do like you. But I don’t like your arrogant, self-righteous attitude. Now, goodnight.”  
And with that, Lacey walked into her room, shutting the door behind her and Thor stomped off down the hall, angry at being rejected once again.

. . .

Tessa was thoroughly bored of watching everyone mingle and drink so she grabbed her glass of mead and wandered off to the library, hoping to browse through some books that might inspire her next novel. She downed her glass, setting it on the table, and enjoying the rush it brought to her head; her best inspiration came when she was just a little bit buzzed. She was searching through the aisles, just sliding an interesting title off the shelf, when she felt two strong hands on her hips and a silken voice whispered in her ear,   
“I wondered if this was where you wandered off too,” as she felt lips come down and brush against her neck.   
Tessa jumped, spinning out of his grasp, dropping the book with a loud bang in the process.  
“You really don’t understand the idea of personal space, do you?” she said, bending over to retrieve the book.  
“If I do recall correctly, it was you who kissed me last night.”  
“Well...I was excited about the library and you were there. It is a mistake I won’t be making again.”  
“What if I wanted you to?”  
“Wanted me to what?”  
“Kiss me again,” he replied, stepping close to her and gazing down at her, luring her in with his glimmering eyes, a smirk on his face. Tessa hesitated for a moment; he was incredibly attractive and a prince at that. He also seemed to have a genuine interest in her which was more than she could say for anyone else here. She leaned in for a moment, then shook her head, as if coming out of a trance.  
“You’re good; I’ll give you that.”  
“Whatever do you mean?”  
“That silver tongue of yours. Tricky. Manipulating.”  
Loki looked genuinely hurt, a frown crossing his face as he looked at her,  
“You think I’m manipulating you? Lying about my admiration of you?”  
“How am I supposed to know? You are the trickster god, are you not? How am I supposed to believe a single word that drips from your mouth?”  
“I cannot deny that you have a valid point. While I had hoped that this library was enough to prove my affections, I see now I will have to work harder to win your trust and your heart.”  
“Win my heart?”  
“Yes, I told you last night that I liked you. I have every intention of proving that to you.”  
“I...um...” Tessa began, but she didn’t really know what to say, so she awkwardly returned to looking at books on the shelf next to her.  
“I can see that my presence is bothering you, so I shall take my leave of you this evening. Goodnight.”   
“Loki...wait...”  
But he was already gone, thinking over what she had said. He actually liked the fact that she was not easily manipulated. She had spunk and strength and he knew that if she did end up giving her heart to him, it would be an honor he could never truly deserve but one that he hoped to earn anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

Days continued to pass on Asgard and Heimdall was no closer to figuring out how the girls got in. Therefore, they continued to be stuck there, making the best of their situtation. Loki continued to consistenly place himself in the presence of Tessa while Thor continued to pursue Lacey, still not grasping her true reason for disliking him. The more time he spent with her, the more jealous lady Sif grew. She was the one who had a history with Thor and she was not losing him to a simple Midgardian. As she was watching the two of them interact one night, a plan formed in her mind.  
“Fandral,” she said to the fairly drunken warrior next to her who was attempting to chat up one of the servant girls.  
“Yes my beautiful lady Sif.”  
“I need your help with something; it involves seducing a girl.”  
“Well then you know you can count me in.”  
The next day, Lacey was wandering down a hallway, after getting lost looking for Tessa. Not paying much attention, she almost collided head on with one of the Warriors Three. He had shaggy blonde hair, a beard, and a charming smile.  
“I am terribly sorry, m’lady. I must learn to better watch my step lest I injure a beautiful maiden such as yourself.”  
“Oh, that’s okay. It was probably my fault; I wasn’t really paying attention.”  
“You know, you are breathtaking, and not just for a Midgardian. I’m not sure we have been properly introduced yet. I’m Fandral, one of the Warriors Three.”  
“Lacey,” she replied, blushing.  
“Well Lacey, I am just headed to the banquet hall for something to eat; I don’t suppose you would like to join me?”  
“Yes, that sounds great. And thank you for actually asking, instead of just assuming.”  
“Thor can be a bit demanding, can’t he?”  
“Yes, very much so. I understand that he is meant to be king but that is no reason not to have manners.”  
“Well, I would never be so assuming with such a beautiful lady. Her respect and affection must be earned and treasured.”  
Lacey smiled at him, taking the elbow he offered her as they wandered toward the banquet hall.  
“You know, it is so nice to hear someone say that. At least there are some gentlemen in this realm.”

. . .

For the next several days, Lacey spent most of her time with Fandral; he was so sweet to her, making her laugh and constantly complimenting her. Thor looked on in envy and Sif made sure to be there for him, comforting him on his loss. One night, Fandral was walking her back to her room. After exchanging kisses for several minutes at the door, he pulled away, looking at her,  
“I suppose I shall come inside tonight?”  
Placing another kiss on his lips, she replied,  
“No, not tonight. I still think we should wait to do that.”  
“Wait?”  
“Yes, I mean, I like you a lot but I don’t want to rush things. There is no harm in waiting.”  
“You still want to wait? But it’s already been nearly a week.”  
“Exactly. That is not very long and I would like to get to know you better before jumping into anything that physical.”  
Fandral pushed her away in exasperation; Lacey tried to grasp exactly what had upset him so much.  
“This isn’t worth it. I’m telling Sif she will just have to find another way to get Thor.”  
“I...I don’t understand.”  
“Sif just wanted me to keep you distracted and away from Thor. But if you’re not going to invite me into your chambers, it just isn’t worth it.”  
“So...you don’t actually like me?” Lacey said, tears welling up in her eyes.  
“Oh please, be reasonable. Why would I have a plain Midgardian like you when I could have my pick of the fair maidens of Asgard?”  
And with that, he stalked off down the hall, probably is search of an easy servant girl, leaving Lacey stunned and upset as she entered her room. After taking a long bath, trying to comprehend what had happened, she crawled into bed, crying herself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

While Lacey was spending time with Fandral, Tessa amused herself by spending multiple hours in the library. She had been struck with inspiration for a new novel and was constantly researching and writing, trying to ignore Loki who kept popping in to look over her shoulder. But one night, when she couldn’t sleep, she needed some inspiration and decided to go talk to Loki about the history of Asgard. Quietly, she made her way to his chambers, which he had “conveniently” told her the location of, telling her she was free to visit him anytime. Knocking quietly, she hoped he was still awake. After a moment, he opened the door and it took Tessa a moment to collect herself as she took in his body, clothed only in what appeared to be silken, green, boxer-briefs, undoubtedly another form of Asgardian sleepwear. Clearing her throat, she looked at the prince,  
“Um...can I come in?”  
“Have you decided to take me up on that invitation to join me in my chambers?”  
“In a way. I was wondering if you could tell me about the history of Asgard. I hit a block on my novel and I’m hoping something in the history might inspire me.”  
“Certainly,” he said, inviting her in and closing the door behind her.  
“I must admit it could be a might difficult to tell you the history while you are wearing so distracting a garment.”  
“Well, it is hardly my fault that Asgardian sleepwear leaves little to the imagination,” she replied, trying her best not to glance at his own choice of apparel and failing miserably.  
Noticing her gaze, Loki smirked at her and took a moment to run his eyes over her body,  
“I did not say it was an unwelcome distraction.”  
Tessa rolled her eyes, walking over to the large bed and situating herself on it,  
“Just tell me the history.”  
“Very well,” Loki replied, joining her on the bed.  
For hours, Loki told Tessa of the history of his realm, expanding his speech into the history of the other nine realms, speaking of how Asgard saved Midgard from the Frost Giants of Jotunheim many years ago. Tessa, feeling exhausted after a time, reclined back against the pillows, letting the prince’s silver tongue paint pictures that washed over her, giving her further inspiration for her book, all the while lulling her into a deep sleep. Loki realized she had fallen asleep, curled up on her side, facing away from him. He stopped his tale, turning out the lights, and lay down on the bed next to her. He wanted so much to take her into his arms but he knew she would probably slap him in the face if he did. Instead, he contented himself to just lay next to her, only resting a single hand on her hip as he too fell asleep.  
The next morning, Tessa woke up, not entirely sure where she was, or why she was being spooned by something warm and firm. Turning her head slightly, she saw Loki, still asleep, but with his arm around her waist, his front pressed up against her back. What the hell? When did that happen? She slowly tried to extract herself from his grasp but ended up waking him up.   
“Good morning,” he said, smiling wickedly at her.  
“You know, it is a bit creepy to just put your arm around someone in the middle of the night without their consent.”  
“If I am not mistaken, it takes two to cuddle. Also, you moved over to me in your sleep. I merely reacted.”  
“Oh,” Tessa said, as if not entirely surprised that she did that.  
“Old habits die hard, I guess,” she said under her breath.  
“What was that?”  
“Nothing. Hey, thanks for telling me all that stuff last night; it really did help for my novel.”  
“You are most welcome.”  
“Well, I think I’m going to go take a bath before breakfast. But I will see you soon, I imagine.”  
Loki nodded at her as she left his room, making her way back to her own. As he set about getting ready for the day, he was smiling to himself, having no objections to waking up with her in his arms.  
As Tessa was making her way back to the room, she ran into Lacey in the hall, her eyes red from crying all night.  
“Lacey, what’s wrong?”  
“Fandral apparently never actually liked me. Sif was just using him to get me away from Thor but when I wouldn’t sleep with him, he said I wasn’t worth it.”  
“Ugh! What low lifes! If I get my hands on them, I swear, I’ll...”  
Lacey put a hand on Tessa’s arm, trying to calm her down.  
“Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment but it’s not worth dying over. I just want to try and get through the remainder of our time here and hopefully we can go home soon.”  
“Yeah, hopefully.”  
“Where are you coming from, by the way?”  
“Oh, Loki’s room.”  
Lacey raised her eyebrows at her best friend.  
“Oh really?”  
“No, not like that. He was telling me about Asgardian history and such for my novel and we ended up falling asleep.”  
“If you say so. But he clearly likes you.”  
“Yeah, I know he does or at least he claims he does.”  
“Well judging by the way he stares at you and follows you around, I would say he is definitely into you.”  
“Yeah, well, I’m not into him. Trickster god, not really my thing, especially after Victor.”  
“Fair. Anyway, I’m going to take a bath. See you at breakfast?”  
“Yeah, I’m going to do the same actually.”


	10. Chapter 10

Once they were both bathed and dressed, the two girls made their way to the banquet hall, shocked by what they found there. Everyone was drinking and partying and a celebratory nature was in the air. The girls exchanged a look, trying to figure out exactly what memo they had missed. Thor, already half-drunk apparently, walked over to them, handing them each a large drink which appeared to be similar in nature to a mimosa.  
“Um, what is going on?” Tessa asked.  
“What is going on, oh little one with the big mouth, is a celebration! My coronation is in a week and the whole realm will be celebrating until the ceremony!”  
“Partying for a week?”  
“Yes, is that not how they celebrate in your realm?”  
“Not unless you’re a frat boy on spring break.”  
“Well drink up, fair maidens. There is much celebrating to be done.”  
And with that he walked off to greet his brother, who had just walked in, handing him a huge mug of ale.   
“Are we really going to start drinking right now?” Tessa asked skeptically.  
“Well, I don’t know about you, but right now drinking until I can’t feel feelings is not an entirely unappealing idea.”  
“That is totally fair. And drinking does open my mind up for writing inspiration more.”  
“Exactly. So cheers!”  
“Bottoms up!”  
The two girls joined the celebration, drinking and dancing with what appeared to be the entire realm. Music was played and alcohol flowed freely. Occasionally, Tessa snuck off to the library to work on her book but was always either joined by Loki or dragged back to the party by Thor. Before long, night had fallen again, and both girls were fairly drunk, although some of it had worn off as they took a slight break from the alcohol consumption. Most of the partygoers had gone home, leaving only a small group to retire to the lounge area once again. Lacey avoided Fandral and Sif, who continued to shoot daggers at her, and she eventually decided to wander out to the balcony again, noticing that Loki and Tessa seemed to be in a deep conversation and she did not want to interrupt them. The night breeze felt good against her skin as her head spun slightly, but at least that made it easier to not think about the rejection she had suffered the evening before. Soon, Thor had joined her on the balcony,  
“Lady Lacey, I have brought you another drink.”  
“Oh, thank you,” she said, taking it and beginning to drink again.   
“You look sad. Is something the matter?”  
“No, I’m fine.”  
“You are not a talented liar, and, trust me, I know what a talented liar looks like.”  
“It’s nothing. It’s just, I kind of thought Fandral liked me and it turns out he just wanted to sleep with me.”  
She decided not to mention the whole issue with Sif since she was unsure of exactly what his relationship with her was.   
“Well, I do not blame him for having that desire. You are very beautiful.”  
Lacey blushed,  
“Thank you.”  
“I mean it. Sincerely. You are enchanting and it has been hard to keep my thoughts off you since you have arrived. I know I was forward in my advances towards you but they arose out of sincere feelings.”  
Not really certain how to respond, Lacey took another big gulp of her drink. Thor was being really sweet and she was feeling hurt after the whole Fandral thing. Not to mention, he was incredibly attractive. Not really thinking about it, Lacey turned to Thor again,  
“Thor, do you still want to kiss me?”  
“Yes, of course.”  
“Ok.”  
“Ok what?”  
“Ok you can kiss me.”  
Not needing to be told twice, Thor set his glass down and closed the gap between the two of them; inside, Sif noticed and stormed off. Lacey set her glass down on the railing as well, staring up into the incredible blue eyes of the Asgardian prince. He placed one strong arm around her waist, drawing her against his armor while his other massive hand went to the side of her face as he brought his lips down to hers. He kissed her with power and confidence, eventually lifting her so she was sitting on the balcony, her hands playing with his hair as she kissed him back. The kiss intensified as Thor slipped his tongue into her mouth, exploring, while the hand on her face moved down to her chest, cupping it and stroking his fingers over it. Lacey enjoyed the feeling for a moment, sighing into his mouth as his other hand moved to have a firm grip on her backside, when she suddenly realized what was happening.  
“Thor what are you doing?”  
“What do mean?”  
“I mean that is more than just kissing.”  
“I am afraid I am confused. I thought this is what you wanted. Are you not coming back with me to my chambers tonight?”  
“I said you could kiss me not that I was going to sleep with you.”   
She hopped down from the balcony, stumbling a bit from the alcohol, and storming inside, muttering to herself,  
“What is it with you Asgardian men? Are all your women easy or something?”


	11. Chapter 11

Tessa watched as Lacey stormed off, looking back at the balcony to see an incredibly confused Thor standing out there.  
“What was that all about?” Loki asked her.  
“Oh, I am guessing Thor tried to make a move on her, acting like he had a right to. And she doesn’t do well with entitled people.”  
“Well then my brother probably picked the wrong girl to like. He is the very definition of entitled most of the time.”  
“Yeah, I can see that.”  
“But, he is my brother and I do love him.”  
“Of course. Family is family.”  
“Yes, speaking of family, tell me about yours,” he said, signalling to a servant to bring them more drinks.  
“Nope, that topic is off limits. Too much I don’t want to go into.”  
Loki could see that it was something she sincerely didn’t want to talk about so he let the topic drop. As they drank more, Tessa suddenly decided she had to go to the library and write; inspiration had just hit her and she had to get it down on paper. She sprang up from the couch, instantly stumbling and falling down into Loki’s lap.   
“Oops, sorry.”  
He gazed down at where she was sprawled across his knees, grinning at her, before impusively bringing his lips down to meet hers. She kissed him back for a second before they broke apart. Awkwardly, she got off his lap, standing up a bit more steadily this time.  
“Perhaps my writing will have to wait for another night and I will simply return to my chambers.”  
“I will see you there myself,” Loki said, standing and wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her as her walk was still a bit unsteady; his was a bit unsteady as well, having consumed more than his fair share of alcohol that day. They finally arrived back at her room and Tessa opened the door, going inside. Loki turned to leave but was stopped by Tessa’s voice,  
“Loki, where are you going?”  
“Well I had intended to return to my chambers.”  
“But you need to finish telling me the history of Asgard. I fell asleep last night.”  
“That you did,” he replied, smirking at her, mischief in his eyes, as he entered her room. She shut the door behind him as he walked over to the bed.  
“Before we start, I need to take off this dress. I can only be fancy for so long,” she said, removing the dress over her head, leaving her in only her bra and underwear. Loki stared at her, taking in her glorious curves. Tessa grabbed her nightgown, turning her back to Loki as she unhooked the bra, throwing it aside, and slipped the black and emerald fabric over her head. She turned back to him, noticing that his eyes were wide with shock.  
“What? You’ve seen me wear this before.”  
“Yes, but I was never fortunate enough to witness your transition into it.”  
Tessa rolled her eyes before taking in his current ensemble.  
“Do you want to go back to your room to change out of your leather and stuff? I can wait here.”  
“No need,” he said, waving his hand, suddenly dressed in the Asgardian sleepwear.  
“Well that’s convenient. Anyway, where were we last night?” Tessa said, crawling onto the bed and laying back against the pillows, her feet down towards where Loki was still sitting. Beginning to tell the history again, he picked up one of her feet, intending on giving her a footrub as he spoke, but she quickly drew it back, actually growling at him.  
“Don’t touch my feet!”  
“My apologies. May I ask why?”  
“I hate it when people touch my feet. Sorry. It really is my ultimate pet peeve.”  
“Duly noted,” he said, sliding up the bed so his head was now next to hers, a playful glint in his eyes, “and do you have any aversion to your neck?” he said, placing a kiss against her skin, sending a shiver down her.  
“Or perhaps your ears?” he purred, gently sucking her earlobe between his teeth, causing a gasp to escape her lips.  
“No, I can see ears cause quite a different reaction, don’t they?” he said, leaning in to run his tongue along the skin just below it.  
“Loki,” she moaned lightly, rolling over to face him.  
“Yes, my love?”  
“Kiss me.”  
“Only if you insist,” he said, bringing his mouth down to her, moving his lips against hers as she kissed him back, threading her hands in his hair to bring him closer. She kissed him passionately, slipping her tongue in to slide over his, causing him to moan into her mouth and roll on top of her. He released her lips, leaning down to kiss a line down her neck, to her collarbone, and across her cleavage as her nails ran down his bare back, drawing a growl from him against her skin. He brought his mouth back up to hers, capturing it passionately, and they continued kissing and teasing each other until they were both too exhausted to continue.  
The next morning, Tessa once again woke up to Loki spooning her. She tried to get up but his grip around her waist tightened in his sleep. Giving up, she lay back down. Moments later, Loki woke up too, placing kisses on her shoulder and her neck.  
"You know, this is the second morning in a row I have woken up to you spooning me."  
"Are you really complaining?" he said, rolling her over and moving his lips to hers, kissing her slowly and passionately. She responded, kissing him back for awhile before realizing what was happening and pulling away from him.  
"Listen, I really do enjoy this but I think I need to tell you I am not looking for a relationship. If you want to continue the physical stuff, that is fine by me, but just don't expect me to fall for you or even to trust you."  
"If the physical is all you want, I can give that to you. But I will win your heart eventually," he said, a pernicious smile crossing his face.  
"You seem pretty confident about that."  
"I am."  
"Well, you keep telling yourself that but I am warning you right now, it is not going to happen."  
"If you say so," he said, leaning over to capture her lips again, pushing his tongue into her mouth, running his hands along her curves as she returned the kiss, hands threading in his hair and rolling him on top of her again.


	12. Chapter 12

The week before the coronation passed quickly, filled with much feasting, drinking, and celebration. Tessa spent her time hanging out with Lacey, working on her novel, and passing the nights with Loki, either in his chambers or hers. Thor continued to make drunken advances at Lacey which she consistently turned down, getting more and more fed up with his attitude.  
The night before the coronation, Loki was in bed with Tessa again, with one hand behind her head, the other stroking up and down her arm as he gazed down at her. She was trying to ignore his loving stare but it was hard to ignore, despite her best efforts. She knew she was starting to develop feelings for him but she tried to push that thought aside.  
"So," she said, looking up at him, "your brother's coronation is tomorrow."  
"Yes, it is."  
"Are you excited?"  
"Very much so. I know I often get jealous of the favoritism father shows to him but I still have been looking forward to this day. He is my brother and no one loves him as much as I."  
"He's lucky to have a brother like you."  
"Was that a compliment? Did you actually say something nice about me?"  
"Maybe...but don't get used to it."  
"Well I will accept any compliment you dole out since I know you only reserve them for special occasions."  
"Just shut up and kiss me."  
"As you wish," Loki said, bringing his lips down to hers, kissing her breathless before trailing up to her ear, giving her earlobe a sharp nip, causing her to gasp and roll him over so she was straddling him. She then leaned down, running her tongue along his neck and collarbone, as he grasped her hips, pulling them against his own.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, everything was going as planned. The enormous throne room was packed with what appeared to be the entire realm of Asgard. Up at the front, by the throne itself, stood Frigga, followed by Loki, and next to him stood Tessa and Lacey; they had been given this high honor at Thor’s request. Thor walked down the center aisle to the cheers of everyone present, reveling in the praise they were bestowing on him. As he approached the thone, he stopped, setting down Mjolnir and winking at Lacey, who just rolled her eyes. The ceremony was going well and Odin was about to declare his son king with chaos ensued; Laufey had found a way into Asgard after all. Fortunately, he was not able to get his hands on the Tesseract but the damage was done; Thor was upset. Ranting and raving, he stalked away from the underground vault, brushing off even Lacey in his anger. After flipping over a giant table in the banquet hall, Loki sat with him, trying to calm him down, Tessa beside him; Lacey sat on the other side of Thor. However, Thor refused to be reasoned with and was determined that he was going to go to Jotunheim and defeat the Frost Giants. This was the last straw for Lacey,  
“Will you just knock it off already?!” she yelled at him, which was quite brave considering his size and his anger, “Your father told you not to go and he has reasons behind it. Maybe you should listen to him for a change.”  
“Don’t you dare try and tell a king of Asgard what to do, Midgardian!”  
“I wouldn’t dream of it, but I don’t see any kings of Asgard here; I don’t even see a prince standing before me! All I see in you is a spoiled little brat who has trouble understanding the word ‘no’!”  
During this whole exchange, Loki and Tessa just sat on the steps, Loki with his eyebrows raised, incredibly impressed by the little girl telling off his big brother. Thor didn’t bother responding to Lacey, pushing her roughly aside and storming off. Loki caught Lacey before she fell, standing her back to her feet, as she stomped off in the other direction, muttering something about Odin finally letting her return to earth. Alone in the banquet hall, Tessa and Loki exchanged a look.  
“He has some serious entitlement issues,” Tessa said.  
“I must agree but I fear I must go with him.”  
“Go with him?”  
“To Jotunheim. He is not going to change his mind and perhaps if I go, I can at least prevent him from doing something irrationally stupid and endangering the whole realm.”  
“You’re probably right. But...just be careful, okay?”  
“And why would you be so concerned about my safety?” he said, turning to her with a cocky grin on his face.  
“I’m not allowed to be concerned about another person?”  
“I think you’re concerned because you like me.”  
“Whatever. You keep telling yourself that.”  
“Oh, I will...my love.”  
“I’m not your love!”  
“If you say so,” he said, leaning down to capture her lips in a deep kiss which she returned hungrily. Finally breaking apart, Loki stood and followed after Thor, leaving Tessa to follow after her enraged best friend.


	14. Chapter 14

Tessa finally calmed Lacey down enough for her to go to the throne room and approach Odin about being sent back to Midgard.   
“I feel I can comply with your request. The Frost Giants were most likely behind your sudden appearance here and the danger of them getting in has already come to pass. I will get you both to Heimdall immediately.”  
“Actually, Odin, your majesty, sir,” Tessa began, “if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay here awhile. I have been working on a new novel and I feel it would greatly benefit me to stay here and research.”  
“I suppose that would be all right.”  
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Loki, would it?” Lacey asked.  
“No!” Tessa responded, eyes firey.  
Lacey backed off and decided to drop the issue despite that she could see that her friend was definitely falling for the Asgardian prince. After a few final goodbyes, Tessa and Lacey rode out to the Bifrost with some guards. Lacey climbed off the back of Tessa’s horse, walking over to the golden dome she had appeared in just a few weeks ago. She said goodbye to Tessa and Heimdall transported her back to Midgard to resume her life. As they were about to head back to the palace, Tessa noticed a guard talking seriously with Heimdall before climbing back on his horse, a look of fear and anger in his eyes.  
“Something you’d like to share with the class?”  
“Thor, Loki, lady Sif, and The Warriors Three have gone to Jotunheim.”  
“Yeah...about that...”  
“We must tell Odin at once!”  
“I’m not sure that’s...” Tessa started but didn’t get a chance to finish her thought as the guard rode off towards the palace. Shrugging, she nudged her own horse towards the palace as well. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Odin knew; maybe he could put an end to this madness.

. . .

Only a little while later, Odin, Thor, and Loki stood in the Bifrost after Odin had gone to save everyone in Jotunheim; Odin was not happy. He and Thor shouted back and forth as Thor tried to justify his actions. Eventually, Odin had had enough.  
“You are not worthy to be king until you learn a lesson in humility! The Midgardian maiden, who you seemed to admire so much, saw instantly what I should have seen long ago! She knows what true ruling means; I would let her be queen before pronouncing you king. So, in order for you to learn the true meaning of leadership, I am banishing you to Midgard to spend time with her! Perhaps she can get the lesson through your thick skull!”  
“Father...I...” but before he could finish, Odin had opened the Bifrost, transporting Thor directly to where Lacey was, with the help of Heimdall of course. Soon to follow Thor was his hammer, now cursed so that only those worthy could lift it. And at that, Loki and Odin exited the Bifrost, Loki heading straight for Tessa to show her he was okay and tell her what had happened with Thor.  
He found Tessa in the library again, scribbling furiously in a notebook. When he walked in, she looked up and couldn’t help the huge grin that crossed her face. She ran to Loki, instantly bringing her lips to his and kissing him eagerly. He returned the kiss, backing her against a bookshelf as his hands ran up and down her sides, her fingers gripping in his hair to hold him closer to her. When they finally broke apart, Loki looked down at her, an enormous grin on his face.  
“No! Don’t look at me like that!”  
“Whatever do you mean?”  
“I know what you’re thinking. And I don’t like you...not like that. I was just glad my friend made it back safely.”  
“And is that how you greet all your friends?”  
“It could be; you don’t know.”  
Loki just smirked at her, capturing her lips once again. Breaking apart again, Tessa asked him,  
“Where’s Thor? Did he make it back okay?”  
“Well he made it back from Jotunheim in one piece, however father was none too pleased.”  
“I can imagine.”  
“Actually, he kind of banished Thor to Midgard.”  
“Ouch.”  
“Yeah, with your friend actually. He told Thor he needed to learn a lesson in humility from her.”  
“You’re kidding! So, he can’t return until he learns his lesson?”  
“It would seem so.”  
“Man, I wish I could be there to see the look on her face when he shows up.”


	15. Chapter 15

Lacey moved around her place, straightening up her studio apartment. While being spoiled in Asgard had been enjoyable for a time, she was glad to be home. Her apartment was small but cozy. It was all one room with a large, queen bed in the corner, a couch along the wall facing a tv, a small kitchen, and a bathroom off to the side of the front door. It didn’t really look anything like what a famous fashion designer would live in but she liked the humility of it. She had a separate, private studio for working on her designs so this was really all she needed for living. Lacey was just warming up some soup for dinner when there was a knock at her door. Opening it, she found a very bewildered and exhausted looking Thor.  
“Are you freaking kidding me?!” she said, looking at the snotty prince in disbelief, “You’re stalking me now?! How did you even find me?!”  
“The Bifrost deposited me outside and I saw your name on the front door.”  
“Do you have a reason for being here?”  
“I have been cast out of Asgard.”  
“Aww...did father not like the little stunt you pulled today?”  
“He has sent me to stay with you; says I am to learn what humility and leadership really mean.”  
“You’re staying with me?! Do I get a say in this?”  
“I would suppose you do. But I am not allowed back into Asgard until I have mended my ways.”  
Lacey was going to protest further but Thor looked so disheartened and confused that she couldn’t help but take pity on him.  
“Fine. Come on in.”  
Thor entered the apartment, taking in its small appearance.  
“These are your chambers?”   
“Yep. Home sweet home.”  
“It will suffice.”  
Lacey just gave him an irritated look coupled with an exasperated sigh as she went back to heating up her dinner.  
“Would you like some soup?”  
“Do you have anything heartier?”  
“Nope. I have soup and quite possibly some peanut butter and crackers.”  
“The soup will be fine.”  
She ladled them both a bowl and they sat eating in silence. After dinner, Lacey cleaned their bowls and joined Thor on the futon, turning on the tv.  
“Is this what you do for entertainment?”   
“Yep. This is about it. Welcome to it.”  
Thor didn’t reply, only grunted and turned his attention to the screen. After a few hours, Lacey was starting to get tired and got up to go to bed. She grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathroom, upset she had to change in there now due to her new houseguest. When she emerged, she found that Thor had shed his armor and had climbed into the bed.  
“Excuse me! What are you doing in my bed?!”  
“I thought we were retiring for the evening.”  
“We are but you are not sleeping my bed! And are you wearing anything at all?”  
“Of course not! I wasn’t going to sleep in my armor.”  
“Not even boxers?”  
“Boxers?”  
“Let me guess...they don’t have undergarments on Asgard.”  
“Not to my knowledge.”  
“Fine. I think I might have a pair of shorts here somewhere left over from some of the models I had to outfit for a photo shoot. I just pray to God they fit you.”  
Lacey rifled through her stuff, finally finding the shorts and tossing them to Thor. He promptly rose out of the bed and Lacey quickly turned her head as he put them on. After a moment, she turned to see if he was clothed now and damn! He might be an arrogant ass but he definitely had the body of a god. He noticed her staring and smirked confidently at her, killing her appreciation of him.  
“Alright, now, you can sleep on the futon.”  
“On that little couch?”  
“Yes.”  
“But there is plenty of room in the bed with you. Or without you. You would fit much better on the futon.”  
“Yeah, well it’s my place so I get the bed...alone. You said you are supposed to learn humility; sleeping on a futon is a good start.”  
Thor grumbled loudly as he made his way to the small couch, curling up and attempting to stuff as much of his body on it that he could. Lacey turned out the lights and crawled into bed, hoping that Thor wasn’t a snorer.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a side note, in this version, Odin doesn't go into the Odinsleep.

Loki and Tessa continued exchanging kisses in the library for awhile before Loki suddenly stood up as if he had forgotten to do something.  
“Where are you going?” Tessa asked.  
“There’s something I have to do,” he said, exiting the library.  
Tessa didn’t really like the way he said that and decided to follow him. He went down into the basement of the palace, into the vault where all the relics were stored. As he approached a glowing blue box at the end, Tessa hid in a corner by the door, watching him. He picked it up slowly, as if testing something, and when he turned around, she saw that he was a deep blue shade, ridges covering his entire body, and eyes glowing red. Tessa gasped a bit in surprise and his eyes met hers, terror and sorrow in the glowing red. She was about to approach him when Odin appeared; Tessa took that as her signal to slip out. Vanishing to her room, she decided to just take a long bath and wait for Loki to show up that evening, eager to talk to him about what she saw.  
But he never showed up. It was very late and Tessa was starting to have trouble staying awake; normally Loki would have joined her by now. Instead of waiting around, she decided to go find him. The first place she decided to check was his room and she was happy when she saw the light still on beneath his door. Slowly, she pushed it open not bothering to knock.  
“Loki?”  
“Get out.”  
“What? Why?”  
“I said get out!” he growled, appearing from inside the bathroom. He was practically trembling and his entire face was wet with tears.   
“Loki, what’s wrong?”  
“Leave me alone.”  
Tessa folded her arms over her chest and put a stubborn look on her face.  
“I’m not leaving and you know that.”  
She saw a brief smirk cross his face but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Tessa went over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle but he pushed her away.  
“What is the matter? Did I do something to offend you or something?”  
“No. I just don’t need you close to me. You said you would never love me and now I understand why.”   
“I highly doubt that.”  
“No, I do. Who ever would love me? I see now what everyone else saw for my whole life. I understand now why Thor was the favorite and why I could never win my father’s approval.”  
“Okay, Loki, you are not making any sense. Come over here, sit down, and tell me what happened.”  
Loki knew that she wouldn’t leave him alone until he told her so he joined her on the bed, still keeping his distance from her. Slowly, he began to explain what his father told him, how his whole life he had tried to make his parents proud the way Thor did, how he always felt different but never really knew why.  
“And now I do,” he said, “I am nothing more than a bargaining chip for Asgard.”  
Tessa placed a hand on his arm, trying to get him to meet her gaze.  
“I know how you feel.”  
“Don’t patronize me,” Loki said, pulling away, “How could you possibly know how I feel?”  
Tessa was silent a moment, staring down into her lap, before she took a deep breath,  
“I’m adopted too.”  
“What?” Loki said, looking over at her.  
“I’m adopted too. Remember how I said I don’t talk about the family thing? Well, there’s a reason. My parents adopted me when I was an infant but I never seemed to fit in with the rest of the family. I have spent my whole life living in my younger sister’s shadow.”  
“Your younger sister?”  
“Yes. They claim she was adopted too but I honestly am not sure I believe that to be true; I was too young to remember. But she looks like my parents, thinks like my parents, and definitely lives up to all their expectations. She is the smart one, the successful one, the charming one, the obedient one....and the...pretty one. I was just the troublemaker who always messed up in school and acted more like a guy than a girl.”  
“I guess you do understand how I feel,” Loki admitted, “but at least you are not a monster.”  
“In what way are you a monster?”  
“You saw me today. My blood is Jotun and that is my true form.”  
“I didn’t see a monster today. I mean, I saw you with blue skin and red eyes but I have written creatures scarier than that. Honestly, I thought it was just some Asgardian thing I hadn’t seen yet.”  
Loki smiled a bit at this.   
“You really weren’t scared of me?”  
“Didn’t see anything to be scared of. Granted, I am a science fiction writer so...” she replied, playfully pushing him on the shoulder.  
“Listen,” she began, “in all seriousness, I know it is going to be rough for you. Trust me, I have been there myself. But your family does care about you, even if they don’t always show it. That was something I had to learn the hard way and I will always be here for you if you need help.”  
With that, Tessa leaned over, placing a hand behind his neck and drawing his lips down to hers, kissing him soundly. When she finally pulled away, he smirked at her with a devilish grin,  
“Does this mean I’ve finally won your heart?”  
“No...but you are definitely getting closer.”  
“I’ll take it. Now, about the whole you not being the smart one or the pretty one nonsense you were spouting earlier...perhaps, I can do a little more convincing in the other direction tonight,” he said, pushing her down on the bed and straddling her, leaning down to kiss her, his tongue exploring her mouth hungrily as she threaded her fingers in his hair and tugged on the strands. With a wave of his hand, he vanished both of their clothes.  
“Hey now,” she said playfully, “where is the fun in that?”  
“I have little patience for undressing tonight,” he purred in her ear, running his tongue along the soft skin behind it, drawing a moan from her lips. She reached up, biting his neck softly before sucking a dark mark into it, running her nails up and down his back as he growled against her skin, his excitement evident. He kissed a line down her neck, past her collarbone, placing a line of kisses across her cleavage, before sucking a mark into the top of her chest. He continued kissing and biting down her body until she was begging for him, a request he happily fulfilled.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, Lacey awoke before Thor and began moving around the kitchen, making coffee. When he finally did wake up, he slowly extracted himself from the small couch, stretching and demanding food.  
“I told you I don’t have food. I need to go grocery shopping today. But I have coffee.”  
Thor agreed to this, quickly downing three cups and demanding more. Lacey just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. After finishing, he went to put his armor back on.  
“You know, I really need to take you shopping. You are going to raise quite a fuss at work if you wear that around.”  
“Work?”  
“Yes, work. I can’t stay away from my job forever and there is no way in all the nine realms I am leaving you in my place alone. You can come to work with me tomorrow; I need a new assistant anyway.”  
“I am to be your assistant?”  
“Yes...and if you think that is beneath you, tough.”  
Thor could see it was a battle he would never win and sighed resignedly. After their coffee, Lacey dragged Thor to the nearest shopping mall, determined to find him clothes that fit. This turned out to be a much bigger challenge than expected considering Thor’s size. However, after hours of trying on clothes, Thor complaining the entire time, the two of them left with quite an assortment of suits, t-shirts, jeans, and even some new boxers for Thor to wear to bed. The next stop was the grocery store; Lacey even let Thor select quite an assortment of food he would like. She felt it was best for her to stock up since she had no idea how long Thor would be staying with her.  
That night, everything was about the same as the night before, minus Thor complaining over dinner as Lacey placed a juicy steak and mashed potatoes in front of him. After dinner, Thor surprised her and volunteered to wash dishes while she took a shower, with him deciding to take one after her. After they were both showered and the kitchen clean, Thor and Lacey sat on the futon watching a movie. About halfway through, Thor put his arm around Lacey’s shoulders and pulled her into his side. She was about to protest but decided that she had done enough yelling at him and it was only cuddling; he had done the dishes after all and she would feel bad about getting upset about something so minor. However, she was alert for any signs of his hands wandering. After the movie, Lacey once again crawled into her bed while Thor curled up on the futon. She set an alarm for the morning and fell asleep wondering just how this first day back would go.

. . .

The next morning, Lacey awoke to the smell of coffee. Thor had apparently woken up before her and had figured out her coffee maker, something that had been quite difficult for him going by the state of her kitchen, but she appreciated the gesture. After helping Thor adjust his tie and getting dressed herself, Lacey hurried Thor into a cab and they were on their way to her office. Once they arrived, Lacey showed Thor around, introducing him to all the key people. He noticed how everyone greeted her with a friendly smile, asking her how her time away was and inquiring after her new designs. It was clear to even him that she was a queen bee in the fashion industry but you would never know it from the way she acted. She knew about the personal lives and families of every single person working for her and greeted them all in a way that in no way indicated that she thought herself superior to them.  
When they finally made it to her office, Lacey sat Thor down at a desk, showing him that he could sit there and she would have him run errands when necessary. She then vanished into her office for the remainder of the morning, only buzzing him occasionally on the intercom to have him bring her coffee or drawings or various pieces of fabric. Around lunchtime, she told him to go down to the cafeteria to get them both sandwiches but after waiting almost thirty minutes, he had yet to arrive with food. Finally, she decided to go and investigate what was taking him so long. She left her office only to find Thor surrounded by a small gang of girls, all models there for photo shoot. They had heard there was an attractive new guy working for Lacey and had wasted no time in investigating. Now, they stood around him, batting their eyelashes and twirling their hair, hanging on his every word as he told them tales of his realm, although Lacey could guarantee not a single one of them had a clue what he was talking about. She approached the group and loudly cleared her throat,  
“Um, Thor, did you not hear me ask you to go grab us lunch?”  
“I did. But I found myself conversing with these beautiful maidens and it seemed a shame to disappoint them by leaving.”  
“Well, far be it for me to distract you from such an audience,” Lacey said sarcastically before turning to one of the models, “Breanna, perhaps you would be so kind as to fetch those sandwiches for me.”  
The girl turned to her, rolling her eyes, and placing a defiant hand on her hip.  
“Why? I’m not your assistant.”  
“Yes, but since you and your friends here appear to be insistent on distracting my assistant, it would be a nice gesture. I’m sure the other girls would be willing to fill you in on any details of his story you might have missed.”  
Rolling her eyes again, Breanna went to fetch the sandwiches, knowing it was best not to argue with the designer of most of the clothes she modeled. Lacey went back into her office, wondering just how this whole thing with Thor was going to work out.   
The rest of the afternoon went rather smoothly; Thor ran the few errands he was given with minimal grumbling. Really, Lacey didn’t need an assistant, but she didn’t really feel comfortable leaving Thor alone at her place. Around seven, Lacey and Thor finally headed back to her place for dinner and another evening of tv watching.


	18. Chapter 18

Back in Asgard, Tessa and Loki spent a lot of time in each other’s company, exchanging stories from their childhood and finding consolation in the fact that they weren’t alone in how they felt; Tessa even told Loki the story of how she threatened to walk out on her sister one time and Loki no longer felt bad about tricks he had played on Thor. Loki avoided Odin as best he could, having utterly no desire to talk to him. However, he did take time each day to talk with his mother, Frigga, who was having a great deal of difficulty seeing one of her sons banished and the other in pain over feeling rejected by his own family. She tried to convince Loki that he was not being rejected, that he was still their son as much as he ever was, but even Tessa knew that after finding out information like this, no amount of words would make the feeling go away and that time would be the only true healer.  
Whenever Loki was with his mother, Tessa continued working on her novel. It was something completely different than her other work but she could already tell it would be one of her better sellers. She also spent her time trying to ignore just how much she was starting to care for Loki. If life had taught her anything thus far, it was that everyone lies and that even the people who seem to care for you the most will ultimately leave you in the end. But despite her best efforts, she knew she was falling hard for the Asgardian prince and this scared her to no end.


	19. Chapter 19

The next few days at Lacey’s office passed quickly and without major incident. Lacey was fairly distracted because she had a major show coming up and there was a lot of work to be done. Thor ran errands for her but spent most of his time regaling the models with tales of his conquests in Asgard. Although Lacey appreciated that Thor was actually willing to be helpful both around the office and her apartment, she could see he still hadn’t learned anything yet. It was obvious in the way he interacted with the models, basking in the light of their attention, and talking about how wonderful and mighty he was back in Asgard; there was no ounce of humility in him yet. She knew he would never be allowed to return to Asgard until he learned what true leadership was, that being king meant more than ruling; it meant getting to know and relate to the people you ruled. She just wished she knew how to show him that.   
One night, Thor and Lacey were at her place again. They had just finished dinner and Thor was doing dishes while Lacey went to take out the trash. When she came back in, she was carrying something in her hands; Mjolnir.  
“Hey, um, Thor. I found this hidden back behind some trees and thought I should bring it to you. This is your hammer right? It is much lighter than I thought it would be.”  
Thor stared at her as she tossed the hammer back and forth in her hands, playing with how light it was. Since he was still washing dishes, she set it down by the furton and flopped down, turning on the tv. When he was done, he dried his hands and approached the hammer, overjoyed to see his most prized possession. But when he went to pick it up, it wouldn’t budge. He lifted with both hands, using all his might, his huge biceps straining against his t-shirt, but the hammer would not allow him to lift it. A look that can only be described as complete and utter defeat mixed with sorrow crossed his face as Lacey looked on in confusion.  
“I don’t understand. How can you not lift it? You are obviously much stronger than me and I picked it up, no problem.”  
Thor sat down next to her on the futon, completely and utterly downtrodden.   
“Only those who are worthy can lift Mjolnir; father has deemed me unworthy.”  
“Oh...I’m...sorry. And he has deemed me worthy?” Lacey asked, still a bit confused.  
“Yes. It is why he sent me here in the first place. He told me he would make you queen before letting me be king.”  
“Oh..wow...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mess things up in your family.”  
Thor didn’t really say anything, just sort of grunted and turned his attention to the television. He didn’t say anything else all night; Lacey had never seen him so quiet. It was clear he was very upset and she didn’t really know how to make him feel better. She put his arm around her and cuddled into his side, unsure of what other comfort she could bring him. It may be true that he was an entitled, spoiled, child but no one deserved to feel that kind of rejection from their family; family was supposed to be the people you could count on no matter what. She wished she knew how to help him more but it was a lesson he needed to learn on his own.  
That night, Thor and Lacey got changed into their pajamas as usual with Lacey heading for her bed and Thor curling up into a “little” ball on the couch. Afer a few moments of them laying in the dark in silence, Lacey finally spoke up.  
“Um...Thor. You can...um...join me in the bed tonight...if you want.”  
“Thank you,” was all he said, no witty remark or comment about bedding her; Lacey knew he was truly upset. She heard him move from the futon, making his way to her bed in the dark. The mattress sunk under his weight as he crawled in, instantly wrapping his arms around her and holding her to his bare chest. His fingers stroked up and down her arms as he spooned her. She could tell he just wanted to be close to someone and she snuggled further into his arms, placing a slight kiss on his hand before they both drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

One night, Tessa and Loki were in his bed; Loki was on top of her, kissing lines down her neck as he pinned her wrists to the mattress, teasing her and making her gasp his name when he bit her ear. Suddenly, he stopped his teasing, looking down at her below him, a big smile crossing his face.  
“I just wanted to thank you for being there for me with this whole family thing.”  
“Is this really the appropriate time for this conversation?” she asked snarkily, wriggling a bit in his firm grasp.  
“Sorry. I just realized I hadn’t properly thanked you.”  
“Well, that depends on your definition of properly thanking me,” Tessa replied with a wink.  
“I’m serious. I don’t know what I would have done without you here.”  
“Well, you’re welcome. I mean, I know how it feels and it would have been nice to have someone there for me.”  
“I love you Tessa.”  
“Loki..I...umm...” Tessa fumbled for words, “I...have to go..”  
She broke free of Loki’s grasp, slipped into her nightgown, and was headed for the door when Loki grabbed her wrist.  
“Why? Why do you have to leave? It’s not like you didn’t know that before.”  
“I know but...I just...I can’t do this, okay?”  
“Why can’t you do this? Talk to me.”  
“I can’t go on hurting you like this. You have this insane notion in your head that eventually I am going to just fall in love with you and it is not going to happen.”  
“Would you at least explain to me why you could never love me? I feel I at least deserve that much.”  
Tessa went back to the bed, sat down on it, and stared into her lap.  
“Because I can’t love anyone.”  
“I don’t understand,” Loki said, sitting down next to her.  
“Listen, my whole life has been a string of people just walking out on me, people I cared greatly about and that I thought cared about me.”  
“I would never walk out on you.”  
“Yeah, that’s what Victor said too.”  
“Victor?”  
“Yeah, my ex-boyfriend. He and I dated for five years, lived together for three. He was everything I had ever wanted in a guy. Super understanding about my family issues, supportive of my career, but he had commitment issues. He kept telling me over and over that we would get married someday, told me I was all he wanted but that he wanted to wait to get married. He always soothed away my fears with pretty words; that man could paint lies better than any artist alive. But, in the end, I found out that they were just empty promises, things he told me to keep me around until he met someone new. And once he met that girl, he left me. Not even a goodbye. And from then on, I have vowed to never love again. It isn’t worth the pain and heartache in the end.”  
Loki looked at her, tears threatening to spill over in his own eyes. He understood now why she put on the tough exterior that she did, why she didn’t want to let anyone close to her. It was a miracle she had let him this close and he was more grateful for that than words could express. He reached over, placing a hand on her arm, and using his fingers to turn her face towards him.  
“Tessa,” he said, looking into her eyes, “please know I will never leave you. I want you by my side. I have never lied to you and I never will.”  
“Loki, I want to believe you, I really do. But my ex said the same kinds of things to me, and he wasn’t the god of mischief. So forgive me if I don’t fall for the pretty words again.”  
Tessa could see she had gone a bit too far but she couldn’t stop herself. Maybe it was for the better anyway; if he was mad at her, maybe he could stop loving her and she wouldn’t hurt him further. She decided to continue,  
“Listen, I have enjoyed the fun we have been having and such but I warned you from the start I wouldn’t fall for you. I sympathize with the family thing but it doesn’t change anything.”  
Tessa rose from the bed, shaking now as she looked at the hurt in Loki’s eyes, knowing that what she was going to say next would hurt him further but knowing she had to break his heart now to prevent him from breaking hers in the future.  
“Loki, I just don’t love you.”  
And with that, she hurried quickly from the room, turning her head so he wouldn’t see the tears that betrayed the lie she just told him. She wondered if he would come after her but his door remained closed as she wandered back to her own room, alone for the first time in weeks, and cried herself to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Lacey woke up with Thor’s arms still tightly around her. He looked peaceful in his sleep, like he hadn’t a care in the world. Slowly extracting herself from his grasp, she went down to make coffee for them before work; the big show was this weekend and there was a lot to be done.  
The rest of the week passed fairly quickly with Thor being quiet the whole time; he didn’t even bother flirting with the models. Finally, the day of the show arrived and everyone was bustling around like crazy. Lacey was putting last minute touches on an outfit of one of the models when one of the male models, Antonio, approached her. He was bigger than most models, standing well over six feet tall and quite built.  
“Miss Feathermore, might I have a word with you?”  
“Just a second.”  
“I kind of meant right now.”  
Lacey gave him an incredibly annoyed look, but walked over to him, leaving Thor and the other model standing off to the side.  
“So, your rival, Penelope Vannerhoff, just offered to let me model one from her lastest collection in her show and I just came to tell you that if you want me to stay in your show, you need to offer me more money or I am walking.”  
“Are you kidding me right now? You bring this up moments before the show starts and demand more money. You must be delusional. Now, go put on the suit and take your place.”  
Antonio, known around the office for being a sleaze-bag, stepped closer to Lacey, leering down at her as he put a hand on her waist and said,  
“Well I guess it doesn’t have to be money...I always accept “other” forms of payment as well, especially from a hot, tight, little number like yourself.”  
“Hands off Antonio,” Lacey said firmly, pushing his hand off her waist and taking a step back from him. She turned to head back to Thor and the model when Antonio grabbed her wrist firmly, hard enough to leave bruises,  
“Hey, don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you. I’m making you a great offer here. I’m one of your best models and deserve a bit of respect. Besides, not like I see any other men beating down your door.”  
“Let me go Antonio before I call security.”  
Thor, who had been watching the whole scene, finally decided to intervene. He stepped over to Antonio, glaring at him,  
“I suggest you unhand the maiden this instant,” he bellowed, causing Antonio to drop Lacey’s wrist.  
“Maiden? Who is this joker? Another one of your office drones?”  
“No, he just happens to be the model taking your place in this show. Now, I suggest you leave these premises before I have security personally escort you out.”  
With a snooty huff, Antonio admitted defeat and walked out the door. Lacey shook her head, frustrated and close to tears as she slowly rubbed her aching wrist. Thor put a hand on her shoulder.  
“Lacey, are you okay?”  
“Yeah, but I wasn’t entirely kidding when I said you could replace Antonio. Would you mind terribly?”  
“What do you need me to do?”  
“All you need to do is put on the outfit he was supposed to wear and walk down the runway. Don’t worry about walking correctly or anything. Just try to imitate the other male models.”  
“I will do this for you.”  
She told him where to find the outfit and he vanished to put it on. The rest of the show went off without incident; Thor was actually a pretty good model, a natural really as he smiled at the cameras and walked the runway. Once everything was cleaned up and all the last details taken care of, Lacey and Thor headed back to her place. Not feeling up for cooking, Lacey ordered Chinese and the two of them sat on the couch eating. Thor had never had Chinese before, but he seemed to love it, having finished three containers of it by himself. After they ate, Lacey put in a movie and curled up in Thor’s lap, not even thinking about if it would be appropriate or not; she was still bothered by the interaction with Antonio earlier that day. Thor didn’t seem to mind and he ran his fingers through her hair as they watched the movie. Once it was over, Thor and Lacey put on their sleepwear and crawled into bed; Thor had been sleeping in the bed with her ever since the discovery of Mjolnir and had only tried moving beyond cuddling once or twice. Lacey had to admit he seemed to be learning. Thor wrapped his muscular arms around Lacey as she snuggled into his chest, a tear rolling down her face, falling onto Thor’s hand.  
“Lacey, are you okay?”  
“Yes...no...it’s the whole thing with Antonio today. I try to be so giving to all of my models. I go out of my way to make sure they are happy and I pay them really well and it just bothers me when people act like they deserve even more than that. I wish they could just see that arrogance won’t get them anything except a lonely life; trust me, I’ve been there. I quickly learned that people were much more willing to help me when I treated them with respect instead of demanding things of them simply because I was rich and famous and they weren’t.”  
“I can’t imagine you being rude to anyone,” Thor said quietly.  
“Trust me, I definitely had my days. The reason I can’t stand people who are entitled is because I used to be one of them myself and it bothers me so much to see how I must have come across to peple.”   
Thor leaned down and pressed a kiss into her hair before speaking again,  
“I admit that seeing how Antonio treated you bothered me as well although for different reasons I feel. Tell me, is that how I acted towards you in Asgard?”  
“Well, not quite to that extent no...but you did come on awful pushy and kind of acted like you had the right to sleep with me just because you were a prince.”  
Lacey could tell Thor was hurt and thinking about what she said.  
“Sorry if that was a little harsh. I didn’t mean for it to sound so cruel; I’m just upset and Antonio kind of pushed my last buttons.”  
“No, I thank you for your honesty. I didn’t realize how rude I must have been coming across until I saw that guy today coming onto you.”  
“It’s okay. If it makes you feel any better, you haven’t really been like that since you got here. Actually, you have been great to have around these last few days.”  
“Thank you. I appreciate your kindness to me but I still feel I have much to learn about ruling, especially as I watch how you interact with the subjects of your fashion world.”  
Lacey blushed at Thor’s compliment, rolling over to face him.   
“Thor, you said back in Asgard that you came on so strongly because you genuinely liked me. Was that true?”  
“Yes, I started having great affections for you the moment I saw you walk through the door for dinner that first night you were in Asgard.”  
“Well, that is greatly flattering, thank you. I admit, the other part that bothers me about what happened with Antonio was his whole comment about guys not exactly banging down my door to be with me. He’s not entirely wrong on that topic. I mean, I have tons of guys trying to get into my pants but none who actually take the time and want to have an actual relationship with me. It’s all just so frustrating sometimes and it’s nice to know you actually considered it for a time. Although I imagine my harsh treatment of you has changed your mind on that subject.”  
“On the contrary. Honestly, I have only grown to respect you more, especially having watched you here in your interactions with your fellow Midgardians. Whatever way you have treated me was more than deserved and I beg your forgiveness for the way I have treated you. You are a valiant maiden, wise, kind, and very beautiful.”  
“You think I’m beautiful?”  
“Of course. Your beauty far outshines many of the maidens on Asgard and you are far more intelligent and noble than them as well.”  
“Thor?” Lacey asked, turning her head up towards him.  
“Yes Lacey?”  
But she didn’t finish her question as she brought her lips up to meet his, kissing him hesitantly at first. He kissed her back, taking a moment to ponder if he really should, but then relaxing into it, placing his hand behind her neck to bring her closer to him as she ran her hands up his chest and into his hair. They continued kissing until they were both breathless, tongues exploring each other’s mouths, and finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: In this scene, Hogun gets very violent with Tessa and attempts to rape her but Loki steps in to save her.

For the next few days, Tessa avoided Loki; she knew she had hurt his feelings but she felt it was for the best in the end. Besides, she was just some simple Midgardian and there was no way he was going to want her around forever. No, to save everyone long-term pain, it was best that she ended it when she did; so why did she feel so horrible and empty?  
To take her mind off it, Tessa spent her time in the library, working on her novel which she was fairly close to finishing. She was lost deep in thought when she heard the door to the library creak open.  
“Loki, is that you?”  
Not receiving any answer, she went back to her writing figuring it was just the wind or something. Suddenly, a voice behind her made her jump.  
“I thought I might find you in here.”   
Tessa got off her chair, turning around quickly to find herself face-to-face with one of the Warriors Three, Hogun if she remembered correctly.  
“Yes, I’m just working on my novel. Actually, I would prefer to not be distracted so if you could just close the door on your way out, that would be fantastic, okay? Thanks. Bye.”  
Tessa hated the Warrriors Three and lady Sif, mainly for what they did to Lacey and the way they treated Loki with contempt. She moved to sit back down at the table when Hogun grabbed her arm,  
“Now, now,” he said, suddenly very close to her, pressing himself against her back and pushing her hair out of the way, “no need to be like that. I’ve only come for a little fun. Rumor has it, you are quite a woman to have in one’s bed and I would like to find out. Granted, I do not care for the big mouth you have, but I guarantee I can find other ways of occupying it.”  
“Eww...get your hands off me creep!” Tessa said, tearing out of his grasp. She made a move to grab her stuff and head for the door when a hard blow to the head knocked her to the floor, making her hit her face on the table on the way down.  
“How dare you talk to a warrior of Asgard in that manner?! Everyone else, including Odin, may have had patience with you but I assure you I will show you to pay respect to me or else I will rid you of your vile tongue.”  
Soon, he was on top of her, pulling at her dress, and reaching for a knife he had in his belt,  
“First, however, I intend to have my fun with you and I do not need your permission for that.”   
Soon the knife was at her throat as she struggled beneath him, the hand not holding the knife making its way down to remove her dress. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from behind them,  
“Hogun, get off of her this instant!”  
Loki stood in the doorway, a terrifying expression on his face. Hogun was off Tessa in a moment, seeing that Loki was not wearing his usual armor, nor was he armed in any way. He made his way over to him, attacking him quickly with his knife. Loki fought with Hogun and it was hard for Tessa to see who had the advantage. Hogun leapt at Loki, slashing him across the side and pinning him to the ground.  
“Loki!” Tessa cried, tears forming in her eyes; she knew Hogun wouldn’t think twice about killing him. But Loki flipped him off, somehow taking the knife from him, pinning him down and holding the point of the knife to his throat.  
“Hogun, I suggest you leave this instant before I am forced to bring about your death in a most painful and deserving way.”  
The humbled warrior, knowing he had been beaten, scampered off in terror, knowing that Odin would have grave punishment for him. Loki rushed over to Tessa’s side, getting on his knees next to her,  
“Tessa, are you okay? Did he hurt you?”  
“Not much,” she stammered, still shaking, “just a headache and I’m sure a black eye from where he hit me.”   
With the adrenaline wearing off, Loki collapsed in pain next to Tessa, clutching his side.  
“Loki, you’re bleeding. We need to get you to the healing room.”  
She scrambled to her feet, helping Loki stand up. He leaned on her as she slowly led him to the healing room, finally getting the help from a guard halfway there.  
Later that night, Tessa knocked quietly on Loki’s door before opening it. Loki was laying in the bed, reading a book. He smiled when she walked in but it was soon replaced with a look of slight sorrow as he remembered the fight they had.  
“Hey,” she said softly, going to the edge of the bed.  
“Hello.”  
“I just wanted to come and see how you were.”  
“I’m doing better, healing.”  
“I also wanted to thank you for what you did today. I cringe to imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up.”  
“Well, I didn’t want to see you get hurt.”  
“But it was more than that...you...you risked your life for me today.”  
Loki just stared down at his lap, unable to meet her gaze. She sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
“Loki, um...what I said a few days ago, about me not being able to trust someone like you, well, I was wrong.”  
Loki finally looked up her, gazing into her eyes.  
“What do you mean?” he asked.  
“I mean, that, everything you have been telling me, I realize now was more than empty promises and meaningless drivel. You truly do love me and I am sorry it took you risking your life for me to see that.”  
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me.”  
“I guess I’m trying to tell you that...I love you too; I have for awhile.”  
Loki couldn’t hide the huge grin that crossed his face.  
“You do?” he asked, still not quite certain he could trust what he was hearing.  
“I do,” Tessa replied, beaming.  
“Well perhaps I need more convincing,” Loki replied a wicked glint creeping into his eyes.  
“Oh do you now?” she asked, the same mischievous gleam in her smile, “Well, I think I have methods of doing that.”  
And with that, she leaned down, capturing Loki’s lips in a languid, passionate kiss, running her hands up and down his bare chest. He kissed her back hungrily, slipping his tongue past her lips to dance with hers as his hand gripped her hair to hold her closer while his other arm pulled her onto him, gripping her as if he was afraid she would run away if he let go. Grateful that the healing room was so effective in its job, Tessa climbed further on top of him, straddling him and breaking the kiss.  
“You convinced that I love you yet?”  
“Getting there,” he said, flipping her over and pinning her down, vanishing their clothes and kissing down to her chest. He slowly ran his tongue over her cleavage as she leaned up to suck a dark mark into his neck before biting down, causing him to growl and quickly abandon the teasing for other things.


	23. Chapter 23

Back on Midgard, Thor and Lacey continued spending time together with him helping her in the office, although he no longer flirted with any of the models and focused all his attention solely on Lacey. Something had definitely changed in him and Lacey didn’t know whether to attribute it to his inability to pick up Mjolnir or him seeing the model mistreating her but she was happy to see it. Before long, Lacey and Thor were in a relationship, content to spend their evenings cuddling, watching movies, and kissing each other breathless both on the couch and in the bed. However, Lacey would still not let it go beyond the kissing and Thor never pressed it.  
One night, Thor and Lacey were sitting on the couch, their movie watching having been interrupted when he decided to start kissing a line down her neck. He pushed her back on the couch as his tongue slid past her lips and over hers. She sighed into his mouth, her hands threading into his hair, tugging hard on it, making him hold her closer and kiss her with even more hunger. Breaking the kiss, she gazed up at him,  
“Want to move to the bed?” she asked, kissing a line down his neck.  
He nodded and they both stood to get off the futon when Lacey stubbed her toe on something hard and metal. She sat back down, clutching her aching foot.  
“What happened?” Thor asked.  
“I stubbed my toe on Mjolnir.”  
A small look of sorrow came over Thor’s face while Lacey’s suddenly lit up.  
“Thor! I have an idea.”  
“What is it?”  
“I think you should try lifting Mjolnir again.”  
He just gave her a look of disbelief, shocked she was even suggesting it.  
“No, I mean it. Listen, I’m not sure how your father thinks but, in my mind, you are more than worthy. And you know what a harsh judge I am,” she said with a smirk.  
Thor conceded the point and leaned down, not putting much hope in this plan, as he grasped Mjolnir, lifting it easily off the ground. Suddenly, lightning and thunder shook the apartment and Thor was suddenly standing in all his full Asgardian glory, Lacey staring on in awe. He lowered the hammer, beaming at Lacey.  
“Wow!” was all she managed to say.  
He set down Mjolnir, scooping Lacey up and kissing her soundly on the lips, before setting her down and gazing at her lovingly.  
“Thank you for all you have done Lacey. I owe you a great debt of gratitude.”  
“So, does this mean you’re going back to Asgard?” Lacey asked a bit sadly.  
“Of course.”  
“Oh.”  
“Why do you look so sad, my love? Do you not like Asgard?”  
“No, I liked Asgard but...wait...are you saying you want me to come back with you?”  
“Indeed. I would not leave you behind here. I need you with me there, to be my queen when the time comes. I promise you can still do your work here.”  
“Thor...I...don’t know what to say.”  
“Say you will come back with me...immediately.”  
“Of course...yes!” Lacey said, leaning up to kiss him again. Then Thor took her hand, leading her outside, and requesting Heimdall open the Bifrost. Almost instantly, Thor and Lacey found themselves standing in the golden dome, ready to go face Odin once again.

. . .

Loki and Tessa slowly woke up, a tangle of limbs and sheets. He gazed over at her, kissing her passionately. Once he broke away, she smiled at him,  
“So, I could definitey get used to waking up like this every morning.”  
“You act like this is the first time, my queen.”  
“Well this is the first time where I know you are all mine and that I am all yours. And I have the marks to prove it.”  
“As do I.”  
They began kissing again, but were soon interrupted by a knock on the door. A guard on the other side said,  
“Loki, your brother and his lady have returned from Midgard and are waiting in the throne room.”  
“Thank you. We will be there shortly.”  
Loki and Tessa quickly tumbled out of bed, getting dressed and exchanging looks of confusion. They started walking down the hall when Tessa suddenly turned to Loki,  
“Wait...did the guard say his lady?”


	24. Chapter 24

After much discussion, Odin was finally caught up on all that happened in Midgard, giving Lacey his thanks and offering the throne to Thor once again.   
“With all due respect, father, I wish to wait to take the throne; I have much still to learn from her before I am ready for leadership.”  
“Thor, my son, you will make a wise king someday.”  
“Thank you father.”  
Odin then instructed them all to adjourn to the banquet hall for a huge feast celebrating the return of Thor to Asgard. Everyone feasted and drank the entire night; all except The Warrior’s Three and Lady Sif who were inexplicably missing from the celebration. Later that evening, Loki and Tessa headed back to his room, stopping periodically to kiss in hallway, Loki pressing her against the wall as his hands ran up and down her body. Eventually, they made it back to the room collapsing on the bed, still kissing. Finally, Tessa broke the kiss, looking up at Loki hovering above her.  
“So, Thor is still going to be king. Does that bother you?”  
“I admit I thought it would and I am still jealous, but, I have you now. And I know I will always be your king and you will be my queen.”  
“Well that’s true. I love you Loki.”  
“I love you too Tessa.”  
He leaned down to kiss her once again, then trailed his lips up to her ear, biting down hard before whispering to her,  
“Now...let’s see how many times I can have you begging for me before the night is through, shall we?”


	25. Chapter 25

After many hours of feasting and drinking, Thor and Lacey walked back to the room she had occupied before. Thor kissed her passionately goodnight and turned to leave, not wanting to make any assumptions.  
“Thor,” Lacey said stopping him in his tracks, “you’re coming in right?”  
Thor turned and smiled at her, entering the room and starting to remove his armor in preparation for bed. Once he was down to just pants, Lacey walked over to him, pushing him down on the bed, and kissing him passionately, tongue dancing with his as his hands threaded in her hair to bring her closer. They moved themselves further up onto the bed, mouths still ravishing each other. Lacey finally broke the kiss, looking up at Thor who had maneuvered himself on top of her, smiling up at him.  
“Thank you for bringing me back with you Thor.”  
“You are most welcome. I would not want to be here without you.”  
“Would you think me weird if I said I loved you?”  
“Not at all. Lacey, I have loved you for awhile and look forward to having you rule by my side.”  
Lacey smiled up at him, wrapping her hand behind his neck and bringing his lips back down to hers. He kissed her hungrily, soon moving from her mouth to kiss a line down her neck, his hand trailing down her back, brushing over a spot on her lower spine that made her gasp and arch up against him. Realizing what he hit, he slowly backed off, not wanting to push her farther than she wanted to go. But Lacey was having none of that. She ran her fingers in his hair, bringing him back down to her, kissing him even more passionately than before as she moved his hands to the bottom of her pajama top and encouraged him to remove it. He looked at her hesitantly, but she nodded at him that she wanted to do this, and he removed it over her head in one swift movement, tossing it aside and placing kisses down her sternum and across her cleavage. Lacey scratched her nails up his back, causing him to growl against her skin, bringing his mouth back to hers as he slowly removed her bra, tossing it aside and replacing it with his hands, fingers stroking gently across her chest. She pushed her tongue past his lips once again as she reached her hands down to shimmy out of her pajama bottoms, quickly moving to his pants. She undid the button and slowly pushed them over his hips, his excitement evident as Lacey was reminded that Asgardians didn’t have undergarments.


	26. Chapter 26

Over the next few months, life passed easily in Asgard. Lacey and Tessa continued to adjust to Asgardian life, making consistent trips back to Midgard to continue their work there. Both women had never been happier in their lives. They both had incredible careers and incredible men who loved them dearly. And to think none of it would have happened if it hadn’t been for one well-timed dirt bike, careening out of control.


End file.
